Pope Francis sides with Peruvian villagers who accused Catholic group of trying to steal their land

By GABRIELA MOLINA
Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Pope Francis has sided with a group of Peruvian villagers who have complained that companies linked to a powerful South American church group have tried to evict them from their land using lawsuits and obscure land titling schemes. In a video Saturday recorded at his Vatican residence, the Pope sent a message of support to members of the San Juan Bautista de Catacaos farmers community in northern Peru, who have been fending off lawsuits from companies associated with the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae since 2014. The Sodalitium is a lay group that runs schools and spiritual retirement centers in several South American countries, but is also involved in real estate, agriculture and construction companies.